Raising self-confidence and competence prior to clinical experience

Goldfarb School of Nursing at Barnes-Jewish College, St. Louis, Missouri USA:

Modern healthcare is a highly complex process, with numerous dynamics and pressures that challenge the delivery of continuous and consistent quality patient care. Yet, can it be said that the training environment realistically mirrors the work environment and equip healthcare students with the expected self-efficacy to perform reliably to text book and error-free standards? Goldfarb School of Nursing reflected on their nurse training programs and asked themselves this same question.

The need to ‘contextualise’ training experiences

Today, clinical personnel at all levels are required to make fast, accurate assessments and clinical decisions throughout the patient care pathway. With this in mind, Goldfarb School of Nursing set out to create a ‘realistic’ work environment in which to contextualize their training, to better prepare their students’ skills and confidence prior to clinical placement.

The college, which can trace its origins back to 1902 from the former Jewish Hospital School of Nursing, has emerged as a nationally recognized institute for innovative education programs and the advancement of knowledge in the discipline of nursing through relevant research. Their comprehensive range of nurse training programs, (including various baccalaureate and Masters’ degrees, and more recently, the Doctor of Nursing Practice/PhD in Nursing Program (DNP/PhD); underpin the college’s key focus to prepare graduates fit for the workplace, and to seek out and nurture talent to make major contributions in both practice and academic arenas.

Making a difference

The growth of the college and the high achieving goals set for their students resulted in Goldfarb embarking on its most ambitious enterprise to date. $40 million dollars were injected into the college to create a new building with state of the art training facilities to support their programs. Looking to the merits of simulation training as a means to prepare students for the unique challenges of the workplace, six simulation labs were built, encompassing 10,500 square feet of learning space and fully equipped with multiple patient simulators, audio visual systems and skills trainers.

Beth Haas, Clinical Simulation Institute Director is in no doubt about the positive effects simulation opportunities are bringing to the students. “The simulation labs have had a huge impact on our students because it allows them to make their mistakes in a safe, low-stakes environment. The labs allow students the opportunity to refine their skills prior to exposure to patients, with the ultimate goal of improving patient outcomes and quality of care.”

The simulation labs have had a huge impact on our students because it allows them to make their mistakes in a safe, low-stakes environment